Lost in the Fade
by Rundstedt553
Summary: After a ritual goes haywire, Raven becomes lost in the world of Thedas. It is up to her and her friends to figure how to bring her home. All the while Raven becomes involved with the events of the Fifth Blight. Will she survive the Darkspawn or will the Blight consume her along with the last Grey Wardens in Fereldan. Season 1 Titans. R: T RavenXWarden. RobinXStar Read and Review.
1. Dimensional Hijinks

**I do not own Teen Titans or Dragon Age. They belong to Bioware and the WB.**

_It was the start of another normal Saturday afternoon in the Titans Tower. The Titans were up and about partaking in enjoyable weekend activities. The past week had been a busy one for them with attacks by Slade, Doctor Light and Mad Mod to keep them occupied. With Saturday on the horizon, each one of them was looking forward to some much needed personal time._

_For Cyborg and Beast Boy, this meant vegging out on the couch while watching movies and playing video games. In between Cyborg would of course spend some time working on the T-Car and his weaponry. Robin meanwhile would be spending more time working on his fighting techniques in an effort to gain an edge over Slade. Starfire would be busy creating another one of her horrid Tamaranean culinary disasters for the Titans to sample. As for Raven, the violet haired sorceress was currently locked within her room attempting to decipher a spell she had recently discovered in one of her many books. _

_The scene in Raven's room was one of scattered books and papers scribbled with notes from Raven's experiment. She had spent the better part of the last week working in her room like a scientist in their lab. Despite her work occupying her thinking, the grey skinned hero still managed to find time to take part in the Titan's daily romps against the villains of Jump City. What concerned the Titans the most however, was every time that each fight from the past week ended , Raven would retreat to her room without so much as a word to the others. _

_Robin was naturally the one who would check up on her the most, wanting to ensure that none of his team was suffering any sort of emotional or physical problem. The only reply he ever got after knocking on Raven's door however was "Go away." This particular afternoon would be different however, as it would be Starfire who proceeded to Raven's door, mainly out of concern that something seemed off with Raven during the morning hours of the day._

"Raven? Are you in there?" _Starfire says with a hint of concern in her voice while knocking lightly on Raven's metal door. _"Please come out. The other Titans and I are becoming very worried about you."

"Go Away." _came the neutral toned response from Raven, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor with a circle of candles and an open spell book in front of her._

"But why Raven? How can we stop bothering you if you will not tell us what you are doing?" _Starfire says in a slightly higher tone of voice._

"I am carrying out some very important research in here Star. Please leave before you disrupt a very delicate ritual." _Raven says in an irritated tone, clearly showing that she was in no mood to converse with anyone._

_Starfire simply sighed in defeat at Raven's statement and retreated back to the Titan's common room, unable to make sense of what Raven was hoping to accomplish with her magical work._

_With the annoyance removed for the moment, Raven returned to her chanting and focusing her will on the magic artifact in front of her. The relic in question was an enchanted diamond which was required to act as the focusing element of the spell._

_As Raven continued her chanting of "_Azerath Metrion Zinthos", _the diamond became bathed in an unnatural purple light. Likewise all the runes Raven had scribbled on the papers scattered about her room began emitting an eerie green glow. Raven had no idea what the outcome of this ritual would be, but she was willing to chance using it if it would enhance her magic._

_The green and purple continued to intensify as a mysterious portal slowly began to open in front of the young half-demon. Before Raven could focus and stabilize the portal however, a loud knock emanated from her door. The knock almost instantly broke Raven's concentration as a shout of "Hey Raven." followed from the mouth of Beast Boy, who had come to try and coax Raven out of her dark den._

_With Raven's focus lost however, the portal in front of her soon started to open and close in a rapid rate. What followed was a loud scream from Raven as the portal turned into a giant vacuum cleaner, sucking in all manner of items and people near it. Raven tried in vain to cling to the end of her bed since she lacked the time to form a magical barrier. Upon hearing her scream, Beast Boy turns into a Gorilla and smashes down the door. However, before he can reach Raven, the portal's gravitational pull finally forces the Titan to release her bed and in a moment she was dragged into the portal, careening towards an unknown dimension._


	2. Duel in the Fade

"I can't believe she is just gone." _Beast Boy says to himself as the other Titans arrive on the scene to find the changeling dropped to his knees in front of Raven's bed._

"What happened in here Beast Boy? We all heard a scream coming from Raven's room." _Robin says with a hint of shock in his voice upon finding Raven having mysteriously vanished._

"I don't know what was going on in here guys. One minute I was trying to make Raven come out of her room, the next I hear her screaming and disappearing into some crazy portal." _Beast Boy says while rising to his feet and dusting off his legs._

"I wonder why Raven would want to open some crazy portal. That girl must have had a screw loose if she thought opening it would be safe." _Cyborg pipes in while going over the ritualistic setup in front of the team._

"From the looks of it, she was tampering with forces that were more advanced then she could handle. I think we had better start analyzing all of the material in here and hope to find a way to bring her back from…wherever she ended up." _Robin says while the other Titans spread out into the room and begin sifting through Raven's notes._

* * *

_Meanwhile, in an unknown location…_

_After spending what felt like an eternity in interdimensional limbo, Raven finally fell out of the portal and crashed hard into the rock hard ground below her._

"_OUCH" Raven says with a loud yell as she stumbles to her feet and takes in her surroundings._

_Dusting off her cloak and pulling it around her form, Raven could tell she was in a strange dimension. It some ways it reminded her of the background that represented her mindscape. In each direction were floating islands surrounded by a dark, unending void. In the far distance she could make out what looked like a dark city. Her more immediate environment meanwhile, reminded her of the blasted hellscape that her father Trigon inhabited. The land was all twisted and deformed with what looked like horrific versions of actual structures and statues. The sight made Raven shudder as she thought of what kind of creatures might live in a place like this._

_The sorceress's train of thought would be interrupted however, when a number of small whisps of light began to appear overhead. Not knowing what to expect from them, Raven readied herself for a fight. The whisps made no move to attack Raven at first, but upon detecting Raven's presence, they began pelting the young woman with lighting strikes. _

_Raven's natural reaction to such a move was to erect one of her magical barriers. Upon doing so, she becomes surrounded by a black shroud while waiting for the perfect opportunity to counter-attack. That opportunity would present itself when the whisps slowed their lighting bombardment in order to conserve precious energy. _

_With the whisps now open to a retaliatory attack, Raven drops her barrier, levitates into the air with glowing white eyes and unleashes a streak of black colored projectiles. Each one manages to find its intended target and impacts the whisps, causing them to dissipate with a fizzle of lighting. _

"Well that wraps things up here but that still doesn't explain where I am." _Raven says to herself while she begins moving in an easterly direction._

"**You are in the Fade young mage. Surely you would know that already**." _Came a booming voice from close by._

"Show yourself whoever you are." _Raven says in a commanding tone while looking all around her with an apprehensive look on her face._

"**You do not command the demons of the Fade little one. I will show myself in due time**." _Came the voice once again, this time much closer than before. To Raven, it sounded almost like the voice was inside her very head._

"What are you and why do you plague me?" _Raven says while holding the sides of her head in pain and falling to her knees._

"**Is it not obvious my dear mage? You should know by now that any magic user who enters the Fade becomes a target for any spirit who lives here. You will bend to my will and become my slave. You and your world will bow before me." **_The Fade spirit says as it finally begins to make itself known._

_As the beast slowly begins to materialize, Raven is unable to utter a word due to the demon's probing of her mind. The visage belonged to one of the Fade's most powerful residents, a Pride Demon. The will of such a beast was powerful enough that mages with weak wills easily became servants to this most powerful of demonic creatures._

"**Hm, it seems you harbor a great power human. I do not know where it comes from but it will make a welcome addition when your body and soul are mine. Now, let us see about breaking that will of yours." **_The demon says with a hint of satisfaction as it continues to batter away at Raven's mental barriers._

_The demon soon stops in its tracks however, when it comes across a secret that not even Raven's fellow Titans have come to fully comprehend._

"**What is this? I sense a demonic presence within you already and yet you still have a human soul within you." **_The demon says just as he encounters the strongest of Raven's withheld emotions, her Rage._

"**That is because I was spawned from both a human and a demon you arrogant fool. You would presume to possess me? I will show you how limited your powers are compared to mine. **_Raven says in a demonic voice as Raven's violet colored eyes are replaced by four demonic red ones and blackened tentacles begin to flow from her cloak. With the breaking down of her mental barriers, her Rage was allowed to commandeer her mind._

"**What blasphemy is this? No demon would ever consort with a human in such a fashion. Humans are only meant as portals to the mortal world for us. There is no point in mating with one. Be gone you half-breed mongrel.**" _The Pride Demon says while striking Raven's demonic form down with little effort. With her unbalanced mind, the Pride Demon had little trouble in overcoming Raven's powers._

_After the heavy magical blow from the demon, Raven is left limp and unconscious on the ground. Deciding to dispose of this mongrel trash, the Pride Demon opens a Fade portal and flings Raven into it. Soon, Raven leaves the hellish environment of the Fade behind and lands on the ground near an unknown village. Still unconscious, she is quickly found by a wandering party of adventurers as they descended from the Imperial Way above._

And another Chapter comes to a wild close. Tell me what you think in the Reviews along with what race and class you think the PC Grey Warden should be. Until next time.


	3. Revelation

"So, that's it then. We just leave her room and shut the door?" _Cyborg says in an irritated tone while clearly displaying his frustration with Robin's idea to just leave Raven's failed experiment as it is._

"I don't like it any more than you do Cyborg but what else can we do? None of us poses the magical knowledge that Raven does. And with her gone, the only way we could make sense of her writing is getting in touch with another magician or sorcerer." _Robin says with a heavy sigh as he and the other Titans minus Beast Boy clear out of Raven's room with defeated looks on their faces._

"That would be easier said than done. Most magic users we know of would rather kill us or are unavailable due to obligations with the Justice League. I hate to say it, but I think Friend Raven is lost to us." _Starfire says in a gloomy tone just as Beast Boy comes running up with a book in his hand._

"Not so fast there Star. Before you go all weepy on us I think it might be prudent to look at this." _Beast Boy says while handing Robin a book ladled with the seal of Azarath._

"How can this help us Beast Boy? I don't…" _Robin is about to say when the book suddenly springs to life and floats into the sky, opening itself to reveal what looks like a human face._

"**I can help you a great deal Titans. If anything I may be the solution to your thorny little problem." **_The book says in a booming voice. The face within the book looking almost similar to Raven in some regards but more masculine. The only real similarity being the diamond shaped chakra embedded in its forehead._

"And how can a book presume to help us? For all we know you could be a hostile entity trapped in there for past wrongs." _Robin says with a wary look on his face. He was not sure what to make of the entity within the book and he damn sure was not going to trust it right off the bat._

"**I can understand your mistrust of me but I assure that I have Raven's best interests at heart. I am a monk of Azarath who was put in this book to serve as a sort of adviser and daily log for the young Raven. She never really consulted me much but when she needed help on her latest ritual, I decided to guide her through it." **_The book says in a neutral tone._

"If you were helping Raven with opening that portal then you must know where she is." _Cyborg says in a neutral tone while crossing his arms and directing an accusatory look at the book._

"**Sadly I do not my young friends. I can detect her life force across dimensions however, and I can tell you that it is fading ever so slowly. She must have had an encounter with an incredibly powerful demon." **_The book says in a mournful tone._

"NO" _all the Titans say in unison as they learn the condition of their comrade._

"**I would worry not Titans. I can sense that she is in good hands. I detect the presence of light energy near her right now. Whether the people emitting this energy can help her or not is another matter entirely." **_The Book says while changing it's to a more neutral one._

"Can you at least tell us how we can help her? I'm going crazy with worry over here." _Cyborg says in a rushed tone of voice._

"**All in due time Cyborg, all in due time. Sadly, as you have already stated, there is not much you can do for her now. And even if you could, you would never get the portal open without a focusing element. The one Raven possessed was burnt out due to an overload of magical energy.**

"Well, do you know where we can find another one? _Robin asks in an eager fashion._

"**Hold your horses young Robin. Such a search cannot be rushed. Rushing off to find another focusing diamond could get you all killed. What use would you be to Raven then huh? **_The Book replies in a highly emotional tone._

"That is a risk we are more than willing to take if it means Raven is brought back to us." _Starfire says in a more determined tone._

"**Well don't say I didn't warn you young ones. Just know that your journey will be faced with peril. You must endure harsh temperatures and viscous guardian beasts to reach your objective. As for where the diamond is located, you must head for the lonely wastelands of Antarctica."**

"Um, Robin? What is this An-ar-tica that the book speaks of?" _Starfire says while turning her head in confusion._

"Antarctica is one of the most inhospitable regions on Earth Star. It gets very cold there and is shrouded in darkness during the winter. Before we journey there, we will have to make sure we have all the necessary supplies." _Robin says with a serious look on his face._

"But, cold is not a problem for a Tameranean like me. Our physiology allows us to survive the most extreme of temperatures along with the vacuum of space and radiation exposure.**" **_Starfire says in a cheerful tone._

"Well Star, that…is amazing. I guess we have only one spot left for the trip then. The other two Titans will remain here and make sure no villains destroy the city while the expedition is away. As leader of this team, I feel I should be the one to go with Starfire_. _Cyborg, you and Beast boy are the protectors of Jump City until we return."

"We won't let you down bossman." _Cyborg says while he and Beast Boy salute Robin._

"I know you won't. Come along Star. We should get packing if we are going to be heading for the pole." _Robin says as he and Starfire leave the common room to begin packing necessities for their upcoming expedition into the unknown. _

An interesting twist I think. Having to journey to Antarctica just to save Raven. Let me know what you think in the review section. In the next Chapter Raven interacts with the Grey Warden, Alistair and Morrigan.


	4. The Grey Savior

_While Robin and Starfire prepared for their expedition in order to help save their friend Raven, Raven herself had just been cast from the Fade by the Pride Demon that attacked her. The ferocious attack from this powerful creature had left Raven in dire straits. Her mental focus had all but collapsed, her body was left battered and bruised and she was on the verge of drifting into a coma. With no help in sight, it looked as though Raven might die in a lonely and unknown place._

_Fortunately for the young Titan, a small group of adventurers happened to stumble across her body just as they were departing from the main road through the area towards the neighboring village. The leader of the group was a short, lithe fellow with pointed ears. He was wearing a long wizard's raiment and had a magic staff slung over his back. The second member of the group was a dirty blonde haired human encased in scale armor with a sword and shield on his back. The third member was the only female among the group. Dressed in a revealing outfit that deftly presented her cleavage and carrying a magical staff on her back, one could easily assume this woman was a sorceress. The fourth and final member of the group was a large hound that could easily rival a Great Dane in size. _

_The first of the group to come across the limp form of Raven would be the war hound who ran ahead of the group to scout out for danger. While sniffing along the ground, the large beast picked up the scent of Raven and immediately ran over to her. Thinking she was simply knocked out, the dog began to poke and prod the young sorceress with its nose, hoping to break her of her unconscious state._

_The move proved fruitless in the end as Raven simply would not awaken, earning a small whine from the large animal. _

_When the rest of the group finally finished their conversation on the stairs and moved to see what the dog had found, both men let out a shocked gasp at the sight before them. The women meanwhile simply let out a "feh" while crossing her arms at, to her, was nothing more than another victim of unfortunate circumstances._

"What do you suppose happened to this young woman Alistair? It looks like she took a brutal beating." _The leader of the group says while bending over the girl to check her pulse._

"I don't really know. I would think she had a close encounter with a roaming band of bandits. How she ended up here is beyond me." _Alistair says in a confused tone._

"Must we stop for every little situation we encounter? If you two haven't forgotten we have Darkspawn on our tails and a Blight to put down. Helping every person we come across will only slow us down." _The woman mage says in an irritated tone._

"Must you be so cold-hearted all the time Morrigan? This person is obviously near death. We should at least take her to the Chantry in Lothering and see if they can help her." _The lead member says with a hint of irritation in his voice while scooping up Raven and taking her towards the village entrance._

_Upon seeing their approach, the Templar Guard at the village entrance was about to inform the group of the lack of space within both the Tavern and the Chantry. The moment he got a look at Raven however, his tone changed and proceeded to direct the group towards a large building a few meters away. The building had a large arch shaped entrance in front of it with two statues of a woman holding an alms bowl on each side. Forward from there was a large chapel that served as the religious heart of Lothering._

"I certainly hope the Revered Mother can do something for this poor girl. She looks like she has had a rough life. Do you think she might be an apostate?" _The leader says while looking down at Raven's outfit and taking notice of the diamond shaped chakra embedded in her forehead._

"I think the answer to that is obvious Warden. Just by looking at her you can tell she is a magic user. And by looking at her cloths you can tell she doesn't come from any circle tower. I must say the cloak is a nice touch though." _Morrigan says in a sarcastic manner while taking the time to admire Raven's blue cloak._

"Well what should we do with her when she wakes up? Do you think we should take her with us?" _Alistair chimes in._

"I think we should just leave her and continue on our journey. We don't need anyone else slowing us down." _Morrigan says while clearly irritated at the idea of adding to the group's number._

"We can decide her fate later. For the moment let's see to her injuries first and get her back on her feet." _The Warden says as the group finally enters the building._

_Upon arrival inside the Chantry, the Warden takes part in small conversations with the Templar Commander, Ser Bryant and a friend of Alistair's named Ser Donall. After getting some helpful information from them, the Commander directs the Warden and his group to see the Revered Mother so she can tend to the limp girl in his arms._

_Arriving in the Revered Mother's study, the elder priestess gasps in shock as her gaze falls on the injured Raven._

"What happened here? Did you do this?" _The Revered Mother says with an accusatory tone in her voice._

"No, Your Reverence. We found this poor girl on the side of the road as we were entering the village. We think she might have been attacked by the bandits that were plaguing Lothering." _The Warden says, slightly taken aback by the accusation._

"Were? I guess that means we have something to be thankful for. See Ser Bryant for a reward if you haven't already. Leave the girl here with me and I will see what I can do for her. In the meantime, be sure to check the Chanter's board outside. There are always problems that need fixing around here." _The priestess says while rising from her chair with arms extended._

"We will look into it your eminence. Just let us know if the girl wakes up. We might want to turn her into a traveling companion." _The Warden says while handing Raven over to the Revered Mother, who promptly lowers her onto a nearby bed as the Warden's group departs for further adventures around the village._

"Right then, let us see about getting this young one back on her feet. Brother Obregon?"

"Yes your eminence?" _The lay brother in the room with the priestess replies._

"Bring me some healing potions and bandages. We should try and bind up this woman's wounds and get her back on her feet."

"At once your Reverence." _Obregon says while dashing off to collect the needed supplies._

_Obregon would be gone for the next few minutes as he looked around the Chantry's stock of medical supplies. Finding the required items, he quickly returns a number of elfroot potions and bandages for dressing wounds. In the time he was gone, the Revered Mother had spent the time cleaning Raven's wounds and checking for broken bones. Finding none, the Revered Mother simply turns to wrapping bandages around the bloodiest of the wounds. In the end Raven is left with bandages wrapped around her head, both of her arms and her right leg. _

_With each wound on Raven's skin soundly looked after, the elder priestess then gently opens Raven's mouth and begins pouring the healing potions into her throat. The effects of the potions are almost immediate as the herb within them reacts with Raven's internal injuries. In just a few moments most of Raven's physical injuries are repaired but the psychological scars from the Pride Demon still remain. Despite the mental trauma, Raven is able to force herself to awaken and begins to stir with a gentle moan. _

_As her eyes flutter open, Raven is greeted by the sight of an elderly lady sitting next to her bed. Seeing the unfamiliar face, the Titan immediately tries to shoot up in bed and question the Revered Mother._

"Whoa, slow down there little one. Give some time for your injuries to heal before you go jumping out of bed like that." _The Revered Mother says while catching Raven and gently placing her back down on the bed._

"Who are you and, where am I?" _Raven says in response while groaning lightly from the pain that causes her to grip the sides of her head._

"I am the head priestess of this Chantry young one. You are currently in the village of Lothering. You were brought here by a group of wandering adventurers who found you near death on the side of the road leading into town." _The priestess says in a friendly tone._

"Where are these adventurers now?"

"They are somewhere here in the village, taking care of odd jobs that need doing. They said they would be back when they were finished. In the meantime young, um what is your name child?

"Raven."

"In the meantime young Raven, I suggest you get some rest and let your wounds heal."

"Now that you mention it, I think I could use a long nap after everything that has happened to me today." _Raven says with a long yawn before finally turning over and drifting off into a dreamless sleep.  
_

* * *

_And Chapter Four comes to an end. Raven is on the mend but has no idea what lays in store for her. Tune in next time for Chapter 5 of Lost in the Fade when Raven joins the The Grey Warden's adventures through the land of Fereldan._


	5. A Visit from Daddy Dearest

**Welcome to Chapter 5 dear readers. As always Bioware and WB own the Teen Titans and Dragon Age. In this Chapter, Raven's demon Father Trigon pays her a visit.**

* * *

_The lonely hours within the Chantry seemed to pass slowly for Raven as she quietly napped within the study of the Lothering Revered Mother. The Grey Warden and his team still remained within the village helping people or collecting information where needed. Raven didn't seem to mind the waiting too much as she was used to the seclusion that sleep brought with it. The loneliness that came with seclusion however, was something that pained Raven greatly. Even though she was on friendly terms with the rest of her fellow Titans, one of her biggest fears was they would drift away from her and she would spend the rest of her life as a recluse. It was this fear that seemed to haunt her most during her nightmares. When such fears filled her mind, they allowed her demon father Trigon to enter her mind and deliver cryptic warnings about his future coming and how she would be his portal into the mortal realm._

_At this particular moment however, Trigon was having difficulty establishing a mental connection with his daughter due to having to cross dimensional barriers. Thankfully for him, he had recently come into contact with a powerful force located within Thedas. This force, known to the Grey Wardens as the Archdemon, helped Trigon bridge the gap between their two worlds by linking Trigon into the Fade. The Dread Lord was able to initiate this contact thanks to the acquisition of a focusing diamond from the Antarctic mines that even now Robin and Starfire were speeding towards. With the bridge between his realm of Hell and the Fade secure, he was able to reach out into this new dream world and touch his daughter's mind._

"Where are you dear daughter? I know you are hiding from me." _Trigon says in a booming, demonic voice as he manifests himself within Raven's dreams._

"Father? What are you doing inside my head, and how did you find me here?" _Raven questions her father._

"I had somehow lost track of you Raven when you disappeared through that dimensional portal you created. But, you should know by now you cannot long hide from me. Finding you was the easy part, but actually getting to you was much harder." _Trigon says in an irritated tone._

"Let me guess, your powers have trouble crossing over long distance dimensional barriers? _Raven questions with her trademark sarcasm._

"Don't you take that smart tone with me young lady. Just know that I managed to find a powerful ally in this new world you have found. I plan on helping him to destroy it and then, when this world has been brought to its knees, we will do the same to Earth." _Trigon says with demonic laughter before departing and leaving Raven a vision of the future to come._

_A few moments after Trigon's sudden departure, Raven tossed and turned in her bed before finally shooting straight up with a loud NO! Her body was completely drenched in sweat and her breathing became heavy as she tried to shake the frightening images of Trigon's prophecy from her mind. The image that seemed to upset her most was the death of her fellow Titans as they fought bravely against the unrelenting hoards with her powerless to do anything to help._

_Raven's scream did not go unnoticed as she emerged from her father's demonic nightmare. The first on the scene was the leader of the Grey Warden troop, who had just returned to the Chantry to come check on her. Finding Raven scared out of her wits, the mage Warden sits down next and simply waits for her to recover her breath._

"W..who are you, and where did that old lady go?" _Raven asks after finally recovering her breath._

"My name is Raelis Shai. But my friends simply call me the Warden. I was the one who brought you here after finding you half dead on the side of the road." _The elf man says while displaying a smile._

"Well you have my thanks Raelis. You can call me Raven by the way." _Raven says in her typical deadpan fashion._

"If you don't mind me asking Raven, how did you end up outside Lothering in this condition?"

"It is a long story that I don't really feel like getting into now. Suffice it to say, a magical experiment went haywire and I ended up here."

"Very well, but I will expect you to tell me all the details one of these days. Where is it you hail from? I can say with certainty you are not from Fereldan."

"I come from a place called Jump City. This Fereldan doesn't sound familiar to me though.

"I can't say I have heard of Jump City either. There is no place in Thedas with that name. Given that circumstance, I think it best you come clean with me and tell me your story. I will try not to judge you too harshly no matter what you say."

"If I must." _Raven says before going into an explanation about her dimensional travel experiment and how it was disrupted._

_While Raven was bringing Raelis up to speed on how she came to arrive in Thedas, Robin and Starfire were speeding away from Gotham City in a plan on loan from Wayne Enterprises. The plane was acquired after Robin figured that they would need a bit of extra help on this operation and, after some pressure from Starfire, Robin decided to begrudgingly call up his old mentor Batman. After explaining the situation to the Dark Knight, he agreed to help them on the condition that they call him if anything should go wrong. Robin accepted the condition without hesitation as he knew the longer he and Star delayed, the chances of getting Raven home began to dwindle. Once the plane was fully outfitted with provisions and equipment, Robin and Star departed for Progress Station in the Antarctic, where they would then transfer over to Vostok Station. Accompanying them on the trip was Raven's book who Robin learned was named Zeno, felt he would be needed on the trip as he could sense where the diamonds were located. Before making the suggestion, the only clue the two Titans had to go on was a remark from Batman that the scientists at Vostok had been picking up strange readings of late coming from the vicinity of Mt. Erebus on Ross Island. This revelation sent chills down Robin's spine as he knew Erebus was an active volcano._

_For much of the trip, both Star and Robin remained relatively quiet as their flight from North America to the Southern ends of the Earth would last for at least ten hours. During the long interval, Robin spent most of his time reading up all he could about the diamond he and Star were chasing. What he found was that this particular brand of diamond was known as the Diamonds of Hemera. They received that name due to how their brilliance shone as bright as daylight. Supposedly they were created by her child Gaia as a way of honoring her mother for giving birth to her. Beyond that they were mainly used in magical rituals that concern dimensional travel. By using the diamond, a person or entity could, in theory, maintain a stable portal for as long as needed. The diamonds were also known to be very rare and only spawn within the glowing hot centers of certain Earth volcanos. So far, only two location have been found to contain them. Mt. Erebus and Mt. Etna on Sicily.  
_

"Why did we not choose the Mt. Etna Robin? Its sounded like an easier choice than going to your planet's coldest wastes." _Starfire says, beginning to question the whole trip._

"Because Star, the diamonds located there are under Justice League protection in order to keep them out of the hands of evil magic users. The Erebus mine was only recently discovered by Superman during one of his patrols down there. As such, only Justice League affiliated meta-humans are aware of it. Besides, Zeno here mentioned that we should head for Antarctica and so we shall."

"**There is a good reason to head for the Erebus site Boy Wonder. It is true that Hemera diamonds do grow in Mt. Etna, but they will not be of the quality required for this ritual." **_The book pipes in._

"Well, you haven't steered us wrong yet Zeno, so I am willing to trust you on this issue. Can you give us an update on Raven at least?" _Robin asks as the well-being of the young sorceress begins to cross his mind._

"**I can do one better than that my friend. I can actually show you what she is doing this very minute."**

"How have you managed to pull that off? I thought you said you could only sense her lifeforce and nothing more."

"**That was because the distance between us was too great for me to anchor on to. But now, it seems someone or something has created a magical bridge between the two worlds. I can use this bridge to amplify my powers and lock in on Raven. Just a moment." **_The book says while beginning to focus on Raven and within a few minutes produces a magical sphere showing Raven in a bed with injury sealing bandages. Robin could also make out a strange man sitting next to her, talking._

"Well it is nice to know she is in good hands."

"Indeed Robin. The thought of not knowing friend Raven's true condition was beginning to eat away at my insides." _Starfire says in a slightly somber tone._

"WE will get her back Starfire. You have my word on that. For now, let us just focus on our mission and leave her to her, apparent new friend." _Robin says in a neutral tone._

"**It would be best if we hurry though. I sensed something sinister after using the bridge. It looked like something from this side and the other side are working together to keep the portal open. For what purpose I cannot say." **_Zeno says with a sense of foreboding in his voice, clearly unaware of the intentions of Trigon and the Archdemon._

_Robin and Star remain silent at this revelation but soon begin to develop an ominous feeling in the pit of their stomachs. They hope that whatever this sinister force is, Raven is well enough to combat it. In the end they decide not to think too much about it for the time being and continue flying into the sunset._

* * *

Things are really beginning to heat up here. Now the Raven and the Wardens have to contend with Trigon as well. Will they be able to handle the additional pressure or will they crack and be consumed by the demon hoard? Find out next time in Chapter 6 of lost in the fade. Also, be sure to review the story and let me know what you think and if any changes need to be made.


	6. Settling Down for the Night

**Welcome to Chapter 6. I do not Teen Titans and Dragon Age. If I did I would be making money off this story. XD Enjoy. Please be sure to review and let me know what you think.**

"And that is pretty much my tale of woe. Due to the actions of one of my teammates, I arrived here in your world." _Raven says while wrapping up her story of how she arrived in Thedas, all the while being careful to keep her demonic nature hidden from the Warden. The reason for this being, she didn't know what the popular attitude towards demons was in Thedas and wanted to avoid a lynching if she could help it._

"So it was a Fade demon that cast you into our world. You're lucky to be alive, much less having your individuality intact." _The Warden says after hearing about Raven's encounter with Pride demon who cast her down into Thedas._

"What exactly do you mean by that? These demons do not only use people as portals into the mortal world?" _Raven says while sounding a little on edge._

"The demons of the Fade not only use mortals as portals but they also possess your mind and body. Playing on a person's strongest emotions they are able to bend a person to their will. This comes at its worst among weak-willed magic users, who are turned into powerful creatures known as Abominations."

"That certainly sounds like a fate worse than death itself. I am just glade it did not happen this particular time." _Raven says in a more deadpan manner._

"Well the explanation you gave me doesn't quite make sense but I am willing to accept it for now. My guess is your will proved to be stronger than his and he could not possess you."

"That must have been it. I mean, why bother trying to capture something that is only going to put up a stiffer resistance. _Raven says with a nervous chuckle._

"I still feel you aren't telling me everything, but I will let the matter be for now. Everyone has secrets they do not want to share and I will let you keep yours. However, if you ever need someone to talk to, do not hesitate to ask me."

"I might try that sometime. But given my somewhat distant personality, I don't tend to socialize with people very much. Most of the time I just prefer to lock myself in my room and curl up with a good book or work on my meditation." _Raven says' wishing she had a book right about now._

"If that works for you then I am fine with that. Suffice it to say Raven, now that you seem to be on the road to recovery, I wanted to ask if you would join me and my fellow adventurers in our quest. We are trying to save Fereldan from a hoard of unspeakable evil called the Darkspawn. Your magic would be of great assistance in combating them.

"Normally I would say no to such a proposal given how slow I am to trust someone I just met. However, I guess I can't afford to be picky at a time like this. Count me Warden." _Raven says while extending her hand, the images from her dream still lingering in the back of her mind._

"Welcome aboard then. Meet me and the rest of the team by the Chantry door." _The Warden says while shaking Raven's hand before departing to link back up with his troop, which has grown by two. The newest members being a giant of a man named Sten and a former lay sister by the name of Leliana._

_While the Warden put things in order with the rest of his group, Raven slowly slides out of bed and tests her injured leg. Finding no pain coming from her wound, she slowly stands up and encompasses her form within her cloak. She then proceeds to meet up with the mage Warden and follow him through the Chantry's front doors._

"So Raven, will there be any extra equipment you need? This will be the last chance to get some before we leave town." _Raelis says as the group proceeds towards the Imperial Way._

"Just a tent and something to sleep on. I do not require any extra gear when it comes to casting magical spells." _Raven says while eyeing the staves on Raelis and Morrigan's backs._

"We can provide those for you. I already purchased all the provision we will need for the first leg of this journey. We can get more when we reach the nearest major town." _Raelis says as the group climbs the stairs towards the Imperial Way road._

_At the top of the stairs the group encounters two dwarves under attack by Darkspawn. The group quickly springs into action to save them while Raven hangs back for the moment to observe the fighting abilities of her new traveling companions. The fight is over rather quickly as the Warden, Alistair and Sten prove more than capable of dealing with a few Darkspawn soldiers. _

_When the fight is over, the two dwarves step forward to introduce themselves. The dwarf with the beard introduces himself as __Bodahn Feddic while his companion was his son Sandal. After a short conversion, Bodahn is convinced by Raelis that traveling with Grey Wardens would not be in his best interest. As such, the dwarven merchant hands out his final thank yous before turning to his inventory scattered on the road._

_With this little distraction dealt with, the group soon returns to the Imperial Way, continuing on towards the first of four destinations._

"So now that we have left Lothering behind Raelis, would you mind filling me in on your mission? I can't exactly work with you if I don't know your objective." _Raven says while walking side by side with the Warden._

"We will fill you in on that when we stop for the night. Suffice it to say, beyond fighting the Darkspawn we are journeying across Fereldan to gather allies to fight them and defeat their leader, The Archdemon."

"I…I see." _Raven says while hesitating for a moment. From the mere mention of that name, Raven flashes back to the images sent to her by her father. Included among them was a great demonic beast that looked like a twisted form of a dragon. As that image had flashed through her mind during her dream sequence, she thought she had heard a voice whisper, The Archdemon has risen._

"Is something the matter Raven? You look like you have seen a ghost." _Raelis says while catching Raven's gaze after mentioning the leader of the enemy he now fought._

"It's nothing Raelis. Just an old memory deciding to resurface at an inconvenient time." _Raven says in a defensive tone._

_At Raven's words, Raelis wisely decides not to pursue the issue further. He figures that Raven should be left to deal with her inner demons in her own way. Thus, the remainder of the walk passes by quietly as the sun begins to grow dim in the sky. Seeing that night would reach them long before they could reach their destination, the Warden decides to pitch camp for the night._

_The Warden selects a wide open clearing surrounded by trees just off the road. Soon the area is a buzz with activity. Each member of the troop pitches their tents while Raelis works on getting a fire going. Both Raven and Morrigan decided to pitch their tents at spots some distance from the others, giving both women a decree of solitude. With the action dying down for the day, Raven decides to spend the next few hours meditating in her tent before turning in for the night. Planting herself down on the floor of the tent, Raven crosses her legs and begins to clear her mind._

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos." _Raven begins to chant while attempting to focus her mind in the hope of correcting the magical imbalance left by her encounters with the Pride Demon and her father._

_While silence reigns within Raven's tent, the rest of the camp is a flurry of activity as the Warden began sharing conversation with the rest of his group. Doing so allowed him to get to know each one better while also developing bonds of friendship. The Warden had to tread lightly however, as saying the wrong thing could just as easily destroy those bonds._

_The Warden would remain at this for the next half hour before finally arriving at the tent of the grey-skinned sorceress. As Raelis neared, he could hear chanting coming from within. Deciding to investigate the sound, The Warden pulls back the tent flap ever so slightly till he came face to face with a levitating Raven. The elven mage had heard that such a power does exist but it takes great mental focus to be able to use it effectively._

"Enter Warden. I know you are there." _Raven says, easily being able to sense the presence of Raelis long before he even reached her tent. This was mainly due to the fact that Raven possessed telepathic abilities, something that was very rare in Thedas._

"Err...right. If you don't mind me asking Raven, where did you learn to levitate like that?" _The Warden asks while sitting down beside the young magic user._

"I learned it from my fellow magic users. I grew among a community of them before journeying out on my own." _Raven says while intending to keep Azarath a secret from the Warden._

"I suppose that would make sense. But before I get off topic here, I just dropped by to pick up our conversation from earlier where you asked what our objectives were."

"Yes. Even though I agreed to join your group, I am still a little bit wary of your group's intentions." _Raven says while opening her eyes and gently lowering herself onto the floor._

"Well, the primary mission of the Grey Wardens is the extermination of Darkspawn. We sometimes help people in need as well but tend to remain neutral in political conflicts. The need for Wardens right now is very important however, as the Darkspawn have recently risen to attack the surface world."

"So the Darkspawn usually live underground?"

"That is correct. They very rarely venture to the surface and never in a force the size we are seeing now unless they have an Archdemon behind them."

"And what exactly is an Archdemon?

"Basically they are beings with the form of dragons that have been tainted by the Darkspawn. They used to be worshipped as Gods during the days when the Tevinter Imperium ruled most of Thedas. It was them, according to legened, who taught man how to use magic. They were eventually cast down and forced underground where they slumber to this day. Based on my own readings from the Circle Tower, when the Darkspawn find one, they corrupt and start what we call a Blight, which is basically Armageddon. This is the Fifth such Blight to hit Thedas.

"And given you Grey Wardens are charged with fighting Darkspawn, I would assume you are the only ones who can stop it?

"That would be correct. Only a Warden can successfully kill an Archdemon. Don't ask me how as I am not sure how it works yet.

"Well thank you for filling me in about this Warden. I feel like I have a better understanding of your world. There is just one more thing. What is this journey of yours all about? I know gathering reinforcements is a prudent thing to do but how will you gain needed support when we arrive at your destinations?

"The Grey Wardens have treaties established with all the major players in Thedas. They are bound by this obligation to provide forces to the Grey Wardens during a Blight should we ask for it. In this particular instance we are to visit the Fereldan Circle Tower, the Dwarves of Orzammar, the local Dalish clans and Arl Eamon of Redwood. Arl Eamon is a special case however, as he is the only potential ally among the Bannorn we have at the moment. What happened was one Teryn Loghain has declared the Wardens outlaws for the death of King Cailan at Ostagar.

"Sounds like this Loghain was making a power play after a failed battle there. At any rate Warden, that should be sufficient for the moment. If I have any more questions I will let you now."

"Of course Raven. Have a pleasant night." _The Warden says with a smile for departing from Raven's tent._

_With the Warden having left, Raven lets out a large yawn and finally decides to settle down for the night. She proceeds to remove her cloak and places it in a bag provided by the Warden for carrying travel gear. Shen then huddles under the covers of her sleeping mat and drifts into a dream filled sleep. One she hopes will not be visited by her father._

And Chapter 6 is in the books. Sorry if this looked like nothing more than exposition but it was necessary to contribute to Raven's understanding of Thedas. I promise there will be more action in Chapter 7, which will bring us to the Circle Tower. Until then please leave any comment or concerns you might have in the review section. Ta Ta.


	7. Arrival

_The coming of the dawn was a welcome sight for Raven. It means she had made it through another night without encountering a Trigon induced nightmare. Even though such dreams were few and far between, Raven was thankful just the same. Sticking her head out of her tent, she finds she is the first person in the camp to awaken. Taking a quick look towards the shadow cast by the trees, Raven could guess it was at least 7 am in the morning. Thus, she expected it would be another hour at most before anyone else stirred from their sleep. Seeing as she had some alone time, Raven decided to find the nearest river and engage in some morning meditation. _

_Stepping out of her tent for a moment, Raven doesn't get very far when she finds a dagger belt at her feet. Raven figures the Warden must have left it here for her as a present of sorts. Raven didn't think much of it at the time as hand to hand was not really her thing. But she figures she may as well put it to good use in case her magic proves ineffective. Taking the belt in hand, she wraps it around her waist and scurries off into the forest._

_Raven doesn't have far to wander as she begins to hear the sound of rushing water ahead. Emerging into a small clearing, the pleasant sound of the river begins to put her mind at ease. Feeling this would be a perfect spot for her morning meditation session; Raven finds a ledge overlooking the river and begins to focus her mind._

_The next hour would pass without interruption, but Raven would soon find herself at surrounded by an unknown group of men. What Raven and even the Warden's group did not release was that a group of bandits had made their camp only a few km away. A few of the bandits were out on patrol for a caravan to rob when they happened to stumble across the teenaged sorceress. Thinking they could get the drop on her and score an easy kidnap victim they quietly made their way towards her._

_What the bandits didn't count on however was that even though Raven had centered her focus within her mind, she could still detect even the faintest vibrations of life energy around herself. Sensing hostile intentions from the closing interlopers, Raven immediately sprang into action. _

"Well, looks like we have a live one here gents. Try and take her alive if ya can, but it won't matter if we bang her up a little." _The leader of the bandit scouts says with a hearty laugh._

"You will not take me alive. In fact, you won't be doing much of anything in two seconds. Azarath Metrio Zinthos." _Raven says as she unleashes a number of dark energy projectiles at the bandits._

_Two of the bandits are sent flying into nearby trees, knocking them cold. The others just barely manage to dodge Raven's magical attack and begin charging at her with swords drawn. Finding that the bandits were now in too close to use her magic effectively, Raven resorts to using the dagger the Warden had provided her. _

_Pulling the blade from its sheath Raven manages to parry a number of the bandits' moves before locking blades with the scout leader. Soon the sound of clashing blades fills the forest as Raven tries her best to keep pace with her adversary. This proves difficult as her opponent had a stronger build and a much larger blade. This fact does not deter the young Titan however, as she managed to call on a number of the martial arts moves she had learned over the years._

_Raven thus delivered a leg sweep to her opponent and sent him crashing to the ground. Before he had a chance to recover Raven used her magic to send him flying into a boulder, knocking him cold. The remaining bandits, enraged by their leader's defeat soon began charging at Raven. Before they could take two steps however, they are soon dropped by magical fire energy from behind. Raven is taken initially by surprise but soon figures out that someone from the camp must have followed her after not finding her in camp._

_Her would be savior is revealed to be the Warden who had awoken only thirty minutes after Raven had left. While searching for her he too had encountered bandits in the woods. After a close fight he began hearing the sound of clashing steel and came across Raven in her current predicament. He felt like helping at first but held back so he could see what Raven could do. Satisfied with her display of power, the Warden intervened on her behave and removed the last of the bandits._

_With the bandit problem taken care of, Raven and the Warden returned to the camp without so much as a word between them. A nagging voice in the back of Raven's mind began to stir however, suggesting that she might be developing feelings for her new acquaintance. The impression was mostly subtle, going only as far as a growing friendship. Raven couldn't help but wonder if the Warden could feel the same way if he ever knew what she really was._

* * *

_While these events unfolded in Thedas, back on Earth Robin and Starfire had finally arrived at Progress Station after spending the last few hours flying over the Indian Ocean. In between they made one pit stop in South Africa for refueling and a good night's sleep. _

_Upon arrival at the station, Robin checked in with the base administrator to receive clearance to proceed to Vostok station. With clearance granted, the plane was once again refueled and given the go ahead to proceed to the Russian science station located at the other end of the icy continent._

_The remaining hours of flight would pass rather quickly as the weather around the plane was calm yet very cold. The external thermometer was showing temperatures in excess of -50 below outside, which increased the chance that ice would begin to form on the wings before too long. Thankfully for Robin and Starfire, Batman had the plane specially equipped to deal with the cold extremities of Antarctica so the chances of ice forming remained low. _

_After two more hours of cross continental flight, the Titans finally caught sight of the Russian science station. Though they were barely able to see it through the polar night, Robin could make out the lights of the power station below. Turning on the radio Robin raises the commander of Vostok Station._

"This is Flight T-130 calling Vostok Station. Requesting clearance to land."

"You have clearance T-130. Welcome to Antarctica Titans."

_Receiving confirmation from the Russian administrator acknowledges the reply with a thank you and begins to make his final approach to the rudimentary runway that acted as a connector to other stations in Antarctica. The landing procedure takes only a few minutes and soon the plane's engines begin to power down. Before stepping out of the vehicle, Robin ensures he is dressed in his best winter clothes, which Batman had altered to cope with the temperatures of Antarctica. _

_Stepping out of the plane, Star and Robin are greeted by the base administrator Major Konstantin Kazakov. The Major had served in the Russian and Soviet militaries for a number of years but soon became involved with international scientific research because of his brother Leonid, who served as the chief researcher at Vostok Station. _

"Welcome Americans to hell on Earth." _Konstantin says with a hearty laugh._

"Um thanks for the welcome Major. Though my friend here isn't an American, she isn't even from Earth." _Robin says while motioning towards Starfire._

"Ah, so we have another outer space visitor like your Superman. Well let me welcome you to Earth on behalf of the people of Russia my dear." _Konstantin says while giving Star a large bear hug._

"Do all people from your nation exchange greeting in this way?" _Star says with a wide smile on her face while returning the favor._

"Not all of them but this something we are known for. Russia is represented by the bear after all."

"Um Major, all of this is great and all but I think we should turn our attention to more serious matters. I assume you have already been briefed about our situation?" _Robin interjects, turning the conversation towards the Titan's mission._

"Yes we have received all the outlines from Bruce Wayne. Basically you need to reach Mt. Erebus with the help of the science team stationed here. Well before we get started on that, let's get those supplies unloaded."

"At once." _Robin says, jumping at the chance to get the mission to rescue Raven moving along. _

_The unloading of the plane would last for the next half hour as all kinds of supplies were removed from the cargo hold. The majority of them were provisions and extra gear needed to survive in the harsh Antarctic environment. Also included was a mobile communication post that was directly connected with the Watchtower in orbit. If the Titans should run into trouble, the JLA could send support personal on a moment's notice. Robin felt a bit thankful that this piece had been included as he knew how hellish the temperatures in Antarctica could get based on his research of the area. Also, given the elevation and lack of oxygen on the plateau Vostok sat on, Robin knew he would be in for a rough process of acclimatization. _

_What he was more worried about was Starfire however, as he had no idea how the conditions would react with her alien physiology. Seeing the look of worry on Robin's face, Starfire would manage to alleviate these fears by mentioning that Tamaraneans can not only survive extreme cold but they could move through the vacuum of space with relative ease. With his fears assuaged, Robin returns to the task of unloading the expedition's equipment along with Konstantin and his fellow base staff. _

_Once all the equipment had been unloaded, Robin set about establishing the communications post within an unused portion of the staff barracks. This way the Titans would not interfere with the scientists work within the meteorology building next door._

"So Major, do you think you could have a few of your personnel looking after the communications post while Star and I head for the coast?"

"Of course. It would be no problem Comrade Robin. But before you head for Ross Island you might want to stop over at McMurdo Station. They are the closest facility to the area. It is beyond me why you did not go there instead of staying with us." _Kazakov says with a small chuckle._

"I knew there was something missing from my planning." _Robin says with a facepalm as McMurdo Station had not even registered during his research of Antarctic facilities._

"Do not let it get to you Comrade. We have already radioed ahead to the commander at McMurdo. He has already been apprised of your situation and will be ready to receive you when you fully acclimatize. So for now, just settle in and try to enjoy yourself." _The Major says with a smile._

"I..I will try." _Robin says with a weak smile before upchucking all over the ground causing both the Major and Star to chuckle slightly._

* * *

_Back in Thedas, the Warden and his company have pulled up their camp and are already back on the road. After a number of bandit encounters spread over two days, they finally arrive at the shores of Lake Calenhad. Towering above everything in the middle of the lake was the Circle of Magi tower, home of all the mages currently living in Ferelden. To Raven, it reminded her somewhat of Titans Tower back home as the imposing T shaped edified looks almost as grand. Raven however, became wary of the tower as she began to sense a strong demonic aura emanating from it._

_Raven decided to keep any observations about the dark energy coming from the tower to herself for the time being. She was sure that whoever was still alive within would be able to fill in the details for the Warden. Their progress forward was only momentarily disrupted as the Warden became embroiled in a rather humorous conversation with a Templar guard at the docks. With clearance to head across, the Warden was ready to begin the first large part of his ongoing adventure._


	8. Midnight Raid

_While matters continued apace in Antarctica and Thedas, unexplained happenings began occurring around the outskirts of Jump City. Titan Tower was receiving reports of sightings of hideous creatures lurking about the woods, stalking residents at night with clear intent to kill. At first Beast Boy and Cyborg didn't pay much attention to the reports as they though the people were letting their imaginations get the better of them. Their initial thoughts were that it was probably a pack of wolves or a bear who had wandered in towards the city looking for food._

_The young Titan's skepticism would prove to be unfounded however, when a police report came in that two civilians had been found dead in a ditch. The bodies had been hacked to pieces and showed signs of sword cuts along with burns from an unknown force. This report was enough to rouse the young men to action and they soon rushed to the scene in the T-Car._

"What do you suppose is going on out there Cy? I mean it's not every day that animals attack humans for no reason, much less kill them." _Beast Boy says as he and Cyborg rush along the Interstate._

"I haven't the foggiest BB. But something tells me this might have something to do with Raven's disappearance._" Cyborg says while looking at Beast Boy with an accusatory look on his face._

"Now why are you looking at me like this is my fault? Just because I had a hand in Raven getting sucked into another dimension doesn't mean I am indirectly responsible for these deaths." _BB says in a defensive tone._

"No I suppose it doesn't. Whoever did this was probably already aware of this dimension from the moment Raven opened her crazy portal."

"And what did she think she was doing playing around with such magic anyway? Was she trying to find a new place to hide from us or something?" _BB says in an exasperated tone._

"We can speculate on Raven's motivations later. We're here." _Cyborg says as the T-Car grinds to a halt at the crime scene._

_Stepping out of the car, Cyborg and Beast Boy look around to see police officers and police cruisers surrounding the scene. Immediately being recognized by one of the on duty officers, he directs the two superpowered heroes towards the detective in charge of this homicide investigation. The person in charge was the head of Jump City's Homicide division, Detective Tylor Armstrong._

"Detective Armstrong?" _Cyborg says while addressing the only police officer around in a trench coat._

"Yes that would me. And I would assume you two are Cyborg and Beast Boy of the Teen Titans." _The detective says in a gruff voice._

"That would be us. Mind filling us in on what the commotion is all about out here?" _Beast Boy says in an inquisitive tone._

"I wish I could give you any new information but leads have been coming up dry out here. The only promising lead we have is a set of footprints that lead off into the forest to the southwest. We can definitely tell that no animal made these tracks as they appear to have been made by something with bipedal locomotion. Beyond that, all we can say is that we are dealing with at least five individuals here. Two of them short and stocky while the other three are tall and of average build."

"It may not be much but we should be able to track these people with no problem. Let us take it from here Detective." _Cyborg says in a neutral tone._

"Very well Titans. We will remain in the area for the next few days in case you need back up."

"Thanks for the offer Detective. If you don't hear from us in the next few hours, contact the Watchtower." _Cyborg says as he and Beast Boy, now transformed into a Cougar, began to follow the trail into the darkening woods._

_Their initial search would prove fruitless as the gathering darkness made it difficult for either Titan to gain their bearings. Even with Beast Boy's feline night vision and Cyborg's infrared scanning, they turned up nothing that would help in locating the killers. The only signs of anything nearby were wild animal tracks and the sounds of birds and beasts filling the air._

_The search would drag on for another few hours at most with the Sun disappearing from the sky and a blood red moon shining in the sky, signaling the arrival of a lunar eclipse. This sort of imagery would invoke dark thoughts in the backs of the Titan's minds. Having watched many horror movies over the years, they began to get the impression that something might leap out of the woods and attack them. This made both Titans become more apprehensive and cautious with their movements. Their fears would soon prove correct, as unbeknownst to them, a malevolent force was now stalking them, waiting for the right opportunity to pounce._

_Cyborg and Beast Boy were eventually clued in to the fact they were being hunted by the sound of heavy footsteps coming from all around them. Already scared out of their wits, the two Titans began shaking uncontrollably, becoming frozen in place. With fear clouding their minds, Beast Boy and Cyborg were ready to run for the hills. Before they could take a single step, a loud roar was heard to emanate from the woods off to the west. This was followed by more footsteps as Cyborg engaged his flashlight and pointed it towards the trees. What he saw sent cold shivers down his spine as his eyes met the gaze of a short, stocky creature that looked like a demon out of hell. In its mouth were razor sharp teeth and its eyes were completely white. The moment Cyborg laid eyes on the creature he began firing his sonic cannon wildly at it, hoping to take it out._

_Unfortunately for the half human, half robot, not one shot made a clear impact. The worst he managed to do was singe the bark of a few trees. The entity in front of the Titans however, does not attack immediately. It instead waits for a number of its allies to arrive on the scene. Thankfully for the gnarly Darkspawn, the rest of its squad were not that far behind. It included four more similar to itself and one tall creature that looked more human in its basic shape but still had the same sharp fangs and pale white eyes. The tall Darkspawn also had what appeared to be some sort of staff in its left hand. Neither Beast Boy nor Cyborg could tell what it was for at first, but they soon got an idea when a series of fireballs were unleashed on them._

"This is crazy. How are we going to deal with something that can wield magic?" _Beast Boy says in a loud tone as he rolls out of the way of the fire and changing from his cougar form back into his human form._

"We deal with bad guys the same way we always do. Go in heavy and leave them lying flat on their backs." _Cyborg says as he charges up his sonic cannon._

"I get ya. One Sonic T-Rex Buster Bomb coming right up." _Beast Boy says with a smile as he transforms into a Tyrannosaurus Rex._

_With Beast Boy in position Cyborg finished charging up his sonic blast. The aim was to have Beast boy ride the shockwave and hit the Darkspawn hard as if a bomb had gone off. With everything primed and ready, Cyborg lets loose with a large sonic blast. Beast Boy rides the crest of the wave and brings his dinosaur weight into play just as the wave impacts with the Genlock squad. The forces involved make it feel like the Darkspawn are being hit by a bomb dropped from a plane._

_When the dust finally settles four of the Darkspawn are killed outright while the Murlock just barely manages to dodge the blast in time. He responds to Cyborg and Beast Boy's attack with a spray of poison from his staff. Cyborg is able to just barely dodge the blast but Beast Boy takes the full brunt of the attack. Thankfully for the young Titan, the poison is only meant to incapacitate, not kill. Thus, Beast Boy was forced back to his human form, leaving Cyborg to combat the Hurlock Emissary alone. _

_To ensure that his next barrage would take down the creature in front of him, Cyborg decided to employ everything he had in his arsenal. This included his shoulder and chest mounted missile launchers along with the sonic cannons in his feet. Prepping himself for the attack, Cyborg began to power up his sonic cannons while also loading up his missile batteries. In a mere five seconds Cyborg was ready and unleashed his attack on the Hurlock. A few seconds after that, the Hurlock was hit with a monstrous, explosive impact and sent flying into the nearest tree._

_As the smoke began to clear, Cyborg could see that he was able to destroy both the creature and his staff. All that remained of the Darkspawn was a charred corpse that quickly disintegrated into ash._

"BOO-YAH. That will teach you to mess with me freaky man." _Cyborg said before turning his attention to his incapacitated friend._

_Seeing that Beast Boy was only knocked out and not in any danger of dieing, Cyborg scooped up the young hero and made his way back to the T-Car. When he arrived, the police had already left the scene for the night. Cyborg decided that it would be prudent to return to the Titans Tower and purge Beast Boy's system of the unknown position. He couldn't help but feel however, that something larger was going on here as a squad like that must have had a commander around somewhere. Cyborg wisely decided that he would send a few spy drones out to run a thorough search of the forest and see if he could locate a base or outpost that the creatures could have emanated from._

_What the Titans did not realize was that this small squad was merely a probe to test their and the rest of the JLA's readiness. Trigon and the Archdemon were bent on conquering both Thedas and Earth. Both of the demons were certain that with their combined might, both worlds would fall. Their only problem was that there were two groups of heroes out there with the capacity to stop them. As long as the Grey Wardens and the Teen Titans remained, total conquest remained just out of reach._


	9. Into the Breach

_Events on Earth were beginning to heat up now that the Darkspawn had made themselves known to the Titans watching vigilantly from Titans Tower. Thankfully, no more disturbances had been reported while Cyborg and Beast Boy had been out. Thus, the action would now shift back to Thedas as the Warden and Company entered the Circle Tower of Ferelden. Here the Magi of the land were kept in isolation from the rest of society due to the inherent fear of magic users that permeated the land. For the mages of Ferelden, the tower was a sort of gilded cage. Here they were allowed to carry out their magical research and live in peace. The only caveat was they must be kept under the watchful eyes of the Chantry Templars. The Templars were there to protect the outside world from what they viewed as a curse on Thedas. Raven was about to enter into that world, not knowing what to expect._

_Upon entering the tower, the Warden's group encountered a flurry of activity in front of them. Templars were running all about as if they were trying to contain something. In the center of it all the Warden could make out a familiar face, Knight Commander Greagoir. This man commanded the Templars based in the Circle Tower and thus was endowed with the power to decide who would undergo the Mage initiation ceremony and who would be turned Tranquil._

_Greagoir had been present at the Warden's own initiation so the Warden felt a personal connection to the man. Couple that together with the Warden helping to expose his former friend's attempted escape; a cordial relationship existed between the two despite the animosity that is known to exist between Templars and Mages._

_Once Greagoir took notice of the Warden, the two men conversed about the current situation. Apparently, the tower had become overrun with abominations, blood mages and demons. The catalyst for this chaos was a senior mage named Uldred. Uldred had been working hard to convince the other mages to support him in joining up with the Regent Loghain Mac Tir, who promised to give the Circle more freedom from the Chantry._

_Something must have turned sour however, as while Uldred was in a meeting to explain Loghain's treachery at the battle of Ostogar, the tower suddenly fell into chaos. While this conversation continued, Raven listened intently to every word. There was still much about the Warden's situation she did not understand and conversations like this would help her to connect the dots._

_Raven's blood began to boil however, when the Knight Commander mention that the only option left, at least according to him, was to invoke the Right of Annulment. This meant slaughtering every single mage beyond the Great Doors leading into the tower. Also, since it would take some time before official word could be received from the nearest Grand Cleric and the situation was getting further out of hand Greagoir felt this was the only remaining option. _

_Hearing this made Raven want to explode as she could not believe that such a law would be enacted. Instead of letting her demon side consume her however, Raven simply redirected her anger and allowed it to blow out a wall near the entrance of the tower._

"I can't believe you would even think of using such an option. Are you that afraid of magic users that you would sanction a complete massacre of them?_" Raven says as her anger threated to consume her mind._

WARDEN, what is the meaning of this? _Greagoir says in a quick fashion as every Templar in the room draws their swords._

"This is my new colleague Raven, Knight Commander. I am sorry if she spooked all of you but her powers tend to get out of hand during periods of extreme emotional duress. I assure you it will not be an issue." _The Warden says while stepping in for the young Titan._

"For the both of your sacks I hope you are right. A person with emotional issues like that should be made Tranquil. But given these are extreme times I will let it slide." _Greagoir says while ordering his men to stand down._

"Thank you Knight Commander".

"However_, _know this Warden. The Right is what I believe to be the right option. If you can rescue First Enchanter Irving however, and bring him back here, I will call it off. Also, try and keep that friend of yours under control. The tower can ill afford any more holes in its walls." _Greagoir says while turning back to his men._

_With the timely intervention of the elven Warden, the volatile situation between Raven and the Templars is quickly defused. Raven is able to supress her rage and the Warden is able to keep the Templars at bay so he can put his focus solely on finding the First Enchanter. Before the group heads through the Great Doors however, Raven takes the Warden aside to thank him for standing up for her._

"It was no trouble at all Raven. You are a part of this team now and I would stand up for any one of my colleagues the same way." _The Warden says while a smile crosses his face._

_Raven returns the reply with a simply nod before moving off to the side of the room, putting some distance between her and the others. She mainly did this because she still did not fully trust the Warden but she was beginning to feel that a rapport was building between the two of them. She was certainly interested to see how far it would go. Maybe it would turn into a full-fledged friendship. _

_Raven's thoughts were soon interrupted however, as the Warden called her over. The time had come to head into the tower and begin the search for survivors while purging the tower of its demonic element. Raven was of course wary of this as all this demonic energy threatened to bring her own demonic essence to the surface._

* * *

_As Raven began her first plunge into the breach, back in Jump City a host of heroes had gathered at Titans Tower to explore a currently developing situation. The creatures that Cyborg and Beast Boy had encountered were not the only ones to appear. Several other countries had reported sightings of the demon spawn, each with the same outcome. Humans would be found hacked to pieces before the Justice League could dispatch someone to investigate. The total number of deaths by the time of the Jump City gathering amounted to 25 homicides and one serious injury. The injured person had been lucky enough to encounter Wonder Woman before the Darkspawn could catch him, but he was still hit by a fireball for his troubles._

_With all of this other worldly activity springing up across the Earth, the JL had decided to gather together for an emergency meeting. Titans Tower was chosen as the meeting place because the Titans were the first to encounter the creatures. Among the heroes present were Superman, Batman, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern and Zatanna. Zatanna was filling in for Hawkgirl because the winged heroine was away on special assignment in Europe. Also, since there was a strong magical presence emanating from the creatures, the League council felt Zatanna's consultations might be useful. _

_While the council discussed initial findings from the recovered Darkspawn relics and corpses, Cyborg and Beast Boy were in the communications room sharing the details of their encounter with Robin and Starfire._

"Looks like we need to hurry in collecting that diamond. I get the feeling that something much more sinister is behind these raids." _Robin says after Cyborg finishes relating the events from five hours before._

"Do you think Slade might have something to do with this Robin? I mean he is known for unleashing some kind of grandiose scheme to destroy us._" Cyborg says in reply._

"I don't think so Cyborg. The unleashing of these demons doesn't seem within his powers to pull off. I think we are dealing with either some magic based villain or with something from the dimension where Raven is now." _Robin says while thinking about where the Darkspawn could have originated from._

"Should we inform the JL council about Raven's disappearance?"

"That will not be necessary Cyborg. I already informed Batman about the dimensional disruption that led to Raven's disappearance. I am sure Bruce will bring it up when the situation warrants."

"If you say so boss-man. How is the Antarctic climate treating you by the way? Did it take you long to leave your lunch in the snow?" _Cyborg says with a chuckle._

"Very funny Cyborg. Adapting to the climate down here is serious business." _Robin says with a look of ire on his face._

"Easy man, I didn't mean nothin by it. Just, stay safe down there and come back in one piece. We want Raven to come home as much as you do."

"Will do. We'll keep in touch. Robin out." _Robin says while closing the com channel._

* * *

_While the Titans remain on the bench, Raven is up to her neck in activity. After her near confrontation with the Templars,_ _Raven and the Warden were literally walking into a living hell._ _With a tower filled to the brim with demonic abominations, it would take the combined strength of the Warden's whole group to combat these creatures from the Fade. Before they would encounter the first wave however, the Warden would encounter a familiar face in the first room beyond the great doors. The face belonged to one of the Warden's teachers and the person he idolized as his mentor, the mage known as Wynne. _

_The older mage had just finished making short work of a rage demon along with two of her apprentices. After the demon was nothing more than a smoldering pile of ash, Wynne erected a barrier over the doorway to prevent more demons from entering the room. With the danger over, the Warden engages in a short conversation with his old mentor. _

_Wynne's face soon begins to sour however, when the Warden mentions that Greagoir has called for the purging of the tower. The Warden counters that he is here to ensure the survival of those that can be saved and the destruction of ever demon in the tower. Wynne agrees with this course of action but insists that she be able to join the party. The Warden is thus forced to send one party member back to the lobby and wait for the others to return. The elven mage elects to send Leliana back, leaving Alistair as the only blade user left in the group._

_Raven's impression of this development was one of indifference as she was more concerned in getting the mission over with than regaling with old friends. She did develop a sense of respect for Wynne however, as here was a woman who had an unshakable resolve and would do anything to defend those close to her. Raven couldn't help but feel that something was amiss with Wynne however. After scanning the older mage's mind with her empathic abilities, Raven could tell Wynne was hiding something important. Raven decided not to press the issue for the time being as she understood how important privacy was to a person and how it was best to keep certain personal issues hidden to protect the ones you trust. With that, Raven falls in step with the rest of the group and proceeds through the doorway in front of her as Wynne drops the barrier._

_Upon passing through the archway, the group entered into the area that served as the quarters for young mage apprentices. Raven felt her stomach turn as she viewed the devastation around her. Beds and tables had been upended while many young mages lay dead on the floor, having drowned in their own blood. The shock was especially hard on both Wynne and the Warden given that both of them knew many of the apprentices who had lost their lives either fleeing from demons or attempting to resist and fight back._

"Rest well young warriors. Your deaths shall be avenged." _The Warden says just as the first demonic abomination steps into the room._

_Upon seeing the creature stager into the room the group becomes filled with a renewed determination to rid the tower of Uldred and his ilk. The first abomination provides almost no challenge and goes down from a few well-placed blasts by Raven and the Warden._

_Afterwards, the group begins to run into small groups of two or three abominations as they near the library. Once inside, the same grizzly scene is there to greet them. It is here the group also encounters their first credible threat, a Greater Rage Demon. Even though the demon is able to put up a stiff resistance, against the magical powers of Wynne, Raven and the Warden it is no match. The demon soon falls and disappears into a pile of ash._

_Before leaving the first floor, the Warden decides to perform a thorough search of the area in order to locate any loot that might prove useful to the team. What they manage to locate are a few extra mage robes and staves along with some extra money to add to their war chest._

_While in the library the Warden also finds a few books pertaining to the Summoning Sciences lying about and wonders if they could summon anything useful. Going through three different summoning sequences, the Warden manages to conjure up a Spirit Hog, a demon called Trickster Whim and a Fade Rifter._

_It is during the second summoning that the Warden suffers a considerable setback. Before the elven mage could even react, the Trickster Whim manages to escape into the world at large._

"I hope wherever that thing went doesn't come back to bite us in the ass one of these days."_ The Warden says with a sheepish tone while Raven simply plunges her face into her hand._

_After shaking that experience off, the Warden collects a gemstone and a pair of magical gloves before the group ascends the stairs to the tower's second floor._

_Upon arriving on the second floor, the Warden encounters another familiar face. This time it is the keeper of the Tower stockroom Owain. While talking with him, Raven could detect no emotions coming from the man. She decided that she would question the Warden more about it later as there was still a mission to attend to. Suffice it to say, Owain told the Warden that another mage named Niall had come to him to retrieve a chant called the Litany of Adralla. Apparently the Litany was supposed to keep a blood mage from coercing people to do their bidding. However, given the state of the tower, the Warden figured that Niall must have failed in his mission._

_Owain suggests that the Warden should try and locate the Litany himself. Maybe having better luck than Niall did. The Warden agrees to the idea and immediately leads the group on while Owain returns to his duties of maintaining the stock room with little hesitation._

_The rest of the second floor mainly contains the quarters of senior mages which have since been taken over by blood mages, undead skeletons and more abominations. The Warden and his team are able to cut a bloody swath through all of these enemies until they arrive at the quarters of First Enchanter Iriving. Inside the Warden finds an old grimoire that looks like it might of interest to Morrigan and a painted lockbox. Beyond these items, the Warden finds more loot for the party while also locating other items of interest for use on smaller side missions._

_Once the second floor had been picked clean of loot and purged of enemies, the group arrived on the third floor of the tower. Upon arrival, the group lets out a gasp of shock as they are faced by a small band of possessed Templar soldiers. After taking them down, Wynne surmises there must be a number of desire demons loose on this floor. Wynne's assumption is proven correct when the Warden enters the next room, finding a desire demon leading four Templars. Raven is naturally shocked by such a sight and immediately charges in to attack. She cannot simply stand by and watch demons feed on the feelings and desires of humans. With a quick bombardment of black projectiles and one flung bookshelf, Raven makes quick work of the Templars and the wily demon temptress. Everyone else in the group only stand wide eyed at Raven's display of power. Raven's reply was a simple, stoic "What?" as she dusted herself off and headed towards the stairs._

_Upon arrival in the final room of the third floor, the Warden ran into a tough challenge as an assembled force of demons and abominations stood before the group. It took quite some time for the Warden and friends to dispose of this annoyance but once again they stood triumphant. In the process, three tranquil mages were freed from their confinement. With the third floor clear, the Warden ensured he had swept the area of important items before proceeding up the fourth floor stairs with Raven and the others in tow._

_Arriving on the fourth floor, Alistair says he can hear sounds coming from behind a door to their immediate left. Raven's empathic senses immediately flare up the moment she notices a large amount of demonic energy from behind the door. Proceeding up to the door, she gently opens it a crack to take a quick peak inside._

"What do you see in there Raven?" _The Warden asks in a quiet tone."_

"Another one of those Desire Demons we dealt with earlier. The strange thing is she is making no moves against us. Surely she can sense us here." _Raven replies while proceeding to open the door._

_What followed was a scene that Raven felt would have been completely out of character for a demon. Instead of ordering the Templar in the room to do her bidding, the demon was actually fulfilling the man's desires for a family life, even if they were an illusion. The young Titan's instincts were telling her that she should attack and end this farce. Her more logical side however, was saying that she should talk things out since would killing both the demon and the Templar really solve anything. With this debate raging in the recesses of her mind, Raven decides to turn the situation over to the Warden, lest the Titan do something stupid._

_In the end, the Warden is able to defuse the situation with some well-chosen words and allows the demon and her possessed partner to go along their merry way. To Raven the choice was not a sound one but she would respect the Warden's decision since it got the group around a tough fight._

_With the demon encounter behind them, the group entered another tough battle involving an incredibly powerful blood mage with an army of Templars at his command. The battle would prove difficult, even for expert magic users like Wynne. But thanks to some well-placed area effect spells from the Warden, the enemy squad soon falls and the way is cleared._

_Upon approaching the door leading to the central room however, Raven begins to sense a powerful demonic presence within the room. Something that would prove to be even more powerful than the desire demons they have met thus far. _

_At Raven's insistence the Warden slowly inches his way over to the double doors and gently pushes them open. Inside the team is met by a demonic abomination standing over the deceased form of a mage. The Warden recognized him immediately as Niall since he was present on the day of the Warden's own Harrowing._

_"_Oh, look. Visitors. I'd entertain you, but... too much effort involved._" The demon says while reacting to the presence of the Warden and his team._

"Who is that man and what have you done with him" _The Warden says in a slightly angry tone while looking towards the bloodied corpse of his friend._

"He's just resting. Poor lad, he was so very, very weary. You want to join us, don't you?" _The Sloth demon replies in a dreary tone._

""Wouldn't you like to just lay down and…forget all this? Leave it all behind?" _The demon adds while beginning to exert his influence over the party._

"No, I…will not give in to your power."_ Raven says with strained determination as she attempts to resist the demon's efforts to force her and the others to sleep._

"Why do you fight? You deserve more…You deserve a rest. The world will go on without you." _The demon replies as the others almost immediately fall under his spell._

"NO! Get out of my mind." _Raven says in a pained tone while holding the sides of her head. Doing the best she can to keep the demon from dragging her into a deep sleep._

"My dear child, you only pain yourself with this continued resistance. Why don't you let go and enjoy a nice peaceful rest. I promise I will make your most impossible dream come true." _Sloth says in a more demonic voice._

_Unable to withstand the pressure against her mental barriers any longer, Raven finally succumbs to the demon's machinations and joins her new friends on a journey into the center of their minds. Would Raven encounter the deepest desires of her heart or would she have to face the greatest of her own hidden fears? Only the Sloth demon knew for sure as Raven was deposited once more within the realm of dreams known as the Fade._

**Well another chapter is in the books. What do you, dear readers, think Raven will encounter within the Fade? Will she be plagued by visions of loneliness or will the Sloth demon give her vision of her greatest wishes? Tune in to the next chapter of Lost in the Fade to find out.**


End file.
